Went to a comic con in Cleveland last month and noticed something weird

I swear half the people walking around were taking photos of the cosplayers but nobody was actually buying comics from the vendors. I counted three different booths where the guy was just sitting there on his phone. Has anyone else seen this shift happen at conventions?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_owens1mo agoTop Commenter

Oh man, you're not wrong at all. I was at one last month in Columbus and it was exactly the same thing. I saw a guy dressed as a perfect Spider-Man and people were lined up to take his picture but the tables selling actual Spider-Man comics were totally dead. It's like everyone just wants the Instagram content now and nobody cares about the actual stuff being sold. The vendors looked so bored and defeated, it was kind of sad honestly. Feels like the whole point of these cons has shifted to just being a backdrop for photos.

ivan2301mo ago

Honestly, I used to be one of those people who thought the cosplay and photo stuff was fine, that it brought more people in and kept cons alive. But after hearing you say that about the vendors looking bored and defeated, it really hit me different. I always figured the crowds meant the show was successful, but I guess I didn't think about the actual people selling stuff and how they're struggling. Now I'm starting to think maybe cons are just turning into theme parks for social media, not a place for fans who actually want to buy and talk about comics. That's a bummer because the vendors are what made it feel real, like you could find something rare or talk to someone who knew their stuff. I guess I never saw it from that angle until now.